A rocket "Shahed" deliberately struck a passenger train in the Odesa region: the train driver and his assistant were killed

A Russian jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicle deliberately attacked a passenger train in Odesa Oblast on the morning of 13 August 2026. As a result of the strike, the train driver and his assistant were killed. The train had 340 passengers – all were evacuated, and none were injured.

The tragedy was reported by the chairman of the board of JSC “Ukrzaliznytsia”, Oleksandr Pertsovskyi. According to him, railway workers detected a UAV threat, after which the monitoring team gave the command to stop the train. The train was entering the station so passengers could be safely evacuated.

However, the jet-powered “Shahed” suddenly changed course. According to Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, the locomotive crew had only minutes left, so the driver and his assistant did not have time to fully stop the train and evacuate themselves.

The chairman of the board of “Ukrzaliznytsia”, Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, reporting on the consequences of the Russian strike, noted that preliminary information leaves no hope for the fate of the locomotive crew.

“Unfortunately, I must personally report the worst: based on preliminary information, this strike left no chance for our locomotive crew – the driver and his assistant”.

In total, 340 passengers, as well as members of the train crew, were evacuated. None of them were injured. Buses were organized to transport people to Odesa.

At “Ukrzaliznytsia” they emphasized that the deceased railway workers carried out their duty to the end, stopping the train to allow passengers to disembark safely. The company promised to provide maximum support to the families of the deceased.

Previously we wrote:

• Ukrzaliznytsia changes routes in the east for security reasons
• Ukrzaliznytsia deploys protective structures against FPV drones at frontline stations
• Passenger trains targeted again: the enemy attacked rolling stock in Mykolaiv Oblast
• One drone — and dozens of potential victims: Ukrainians warned about deadly danger on trains
• Alarm on the road: Ukrzaliznytsia changes rules — what passengers should do now